Castle Hearts
by Angel of Pandemonium
Summary: It's not easy trying to find your sister- who may or may not still be herself at this point- it's even more confusing when you find out that your soulmate is in league with the person that kind of took over your world after helping Xehanort have his way with it (pun may or may not be intended). Full Summery inside.
1. Chapter 1

_**OK, Hello, and welcome To Castle Hearts- my first Kingdom hearts fanfiction. Its a pleasure to meet all of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoy- warnings: I have a**_ **lot _of OCs in this. For a reason. This is kind of an AU- it follows the storylines of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 and everything cannon in the games applies. It is a soul mate AU focusing primarily on Riku and my OC Artemis Kenja, in Artemis' POV- Hence the reason for AU. Reviews are welcome... thanks for giving it a chance._**

 ** _One more thing, as I can't remember these for_ crap _this is for the whole story: I DON'T OWN KINGDOM HEARTS OR ANY FINAL FANTASY CHARACTERS MENTIONED. I ONLY OWN MY OCS AND PART OF THE PLOT._**

* * *

 _ **Full Summary: It's Not easy trying to find your sister- who may or may not still be herself at this point- it's even more confusing when you find out that your soulmate is in league with the person that has taken over your world after helping Xehanort have his way with it (pun may or may not be intended).  
**_

 _ **Putting it simply, Artemis Kenja just wants to find her sister, and not worry about her soulmate... But that's just not going to happen, is it? At least, not as long as she keeps meeting him in her dreams...**_

* * *

 _ **PART 1**_

 _(During the Events of Kingdom Hearts)_

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1_**

It always started the same way… a pair of brilliant turquoise eyes, a voice that haunted her in her waking hours. Though she knew that she slept, though she knew that there would be no answer, Artemis Kenja could not help but call out, begging the voice for a name.

She'd had the same dream for years, though, as a child, he had been more of an imaginary friend of sorts. Now, though, at fourteen, she could not help but wonder who the boy that she knew vaguely from her dreams was.

However, now was not the time to think of such things as transitory dreams that she wasn't even able to completely remember. She had other commitments to attend to… like finding her older sister, Hestia. And to do that, she had to put such things as imaginary friends behind her. She needed to fight the heartless.

She needed, she thought, to get a friggin' grip.

What was she even _doing_ thinking about her reoccurring dream? And as she was fighting off a heartless- what was this one called, again? A Large Body? Apt name, and annoying as hell… or was it Hades? The Underworld? Whatever one wanted to call it at the present time. For light's sake, what did that lady from Olympus Say it was again?

She hissed and cast Blizzaga at the annoying nobody. It seemed to do the trick. ' _note to self, these ones are weak against magic…'_ Artemis observed, vaulting herself on to the roof of the castle that she had been battling at for the past hour.

She lost her balance as those bright, bright eyes came back into her mind's eye. She cussed, twisting her body as much as she could so that she wouldn't break something. When she did hit, it was not the ground.

She had earned a rather nasty blow from another heartless, as it raked her stomach with its claws, ripping her shirt as well as the skin under it. She parried the soldier's next attack with one of her battle fans, and effectively cut the heartless in half. She was done for now.

She was trying to muster up some of her magic to heal herself, when the brunette woman ran up to her. "Are you all right?" she gasped, her tone worried. Artemis smiled in spite of herself and looked up at the older girl.

"I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm all right. You made sure of that," Belle stated. "Thank you."

"Good." The smaller girl sighed and shook out her short, riotously curly blue-black hair. Her red eyes seemed to be tired, though, Belle noted. "Though, there's no need to thank me."

Belle's brown eyes narrowed. "Nonsense. You... _saved_ me. From what I'm sure would have been a horrible experience.

"And they just keep coming, too," Artemis grumbled as she picked herself up from the ground. "Light, I'm sore." She groaned, stretching out, hissing in pain when a cut that she'd failed to close pulled. Belle gasped. "You're hurt. Let me help."

"Do you have any ethers?" Artemis asked. "Because I could use a pick me up for my magic, and I'm out. I can heal myself pretty well when I have enough mana to do it." Belle nodded and ran off. She didn't notice the large figure until he spoke.

"I thought… you might have been one of them at first." The rumbling, inhuman growl took her by surprise, and she jumped and squeaked. She looked up into a pair of sapphire blue, _human_ eyes set in the face that was not buffalo, lion, boar, or gorilla, but a strange mixture of all three. He had the body of a bear and the tail and legs of a wolf.

She cocked her head to the side and grinned. "The eyes?"

He nodded. She shrugged. "You would be amazed. At least you didn't attack me…" she muttered. "Or try to burn me at a stake…" she shuddered.

The beast's heavy brow rose. "what? He growled, annoyed.

Artemis shrugged. "well, the mantra there was 'burn the witch...'" she muttered. "and it was one that they took rather seriously."

"I try not to judge a person based on their appearance anymore." The beast muttered. Artemis laughed. "For which I am eternally grateful for. But, I figure that _you_ of all people wouldn't."

"You saved her. I would have been too late to do anything. I am in your debt."

Artemis shifted, uncomfortable. "No. You're really not. I just… I couldn't leave _anyone_ to them, and they looked like they _really_ wanted her."

The beast nodded. "They've been coming at us non-stop as of late." He said, eyes narrowing. "I wonder if I should send her away, but…"

"That won't help, in fact, it will probably lead to her getting attacked the second she leaves your protection." The beast nodded, and Artemis sighed.

"Do you have a name? I've been calling you 'Beast' in my head, but it's getting annoying.

He didn't smile- Artemis didn't think that he could- but she got the impression that he was, and he snorted as he shook his head. "I don't mind being called 'Beast'."

"I really don't like it, though. Its rude and I'd hate it if someone did that to me. Like calling me 'witch', for instance. I am capable of doing magic, but I'm not a witch."

"Adam." He stated abruptly. "My name is Adam."

"Okay. Thank you. My name is Artemis." She said.

"Why have you come here in the first place?" Adam asked. She sighed before she started to explain.

"I'm looking for my sister, Hestia Kenja. We were separated after our world was lost to the darkness. I know she wasn't turned into a heartless, so… well, I figured I'd search the world looking for her."

"How long have you been looking for her?" Belle had returned, a bottle of iridescent green liquid in her hand. She handed the bottle to Artemis, who downed the ether before answering. "About nine years."

Of course, this made the couple gape at her. She grinned. "I'm very stubborn," she drawled. "And, honestly, there's a bunch of different worlds out there, so it takes a _long_ time…"

"But _nine_ _years_!" Belle gasped. "How old _are_ you?" Adam asked, incredulous.

Artemis mocked insult at the question. "Asking a lady her age! Gasp, Adam. That was rather _beastly_ of you…" she giggled as he had the grace to look embarrassed, while Belle laughed with her. Artemis sobered up, first, and told the truth. "I'm Fourteen." She muttered.

"you were _five?!"_ Belle gasped. Artemis laughed dryly.

"As I said before, I'm a _really_ stubborn person." She stated, voice dry as sand. "I needed to do something, so I… bought a gummi ship and set out."

"At _five_?" Adam groused. "where were your parents?"

To that, Artemis snorted. "My father is- and was- obsessed with getting revenge. He's been… unreachable… since our world was lost. My mother died when I was three. I _had_ no parents, and I sure as heck didn't want to listen to anyone else. I knew my sister was out there, and I needed to find her."

Belle was amazed. The girl's tenacity was hard to find. She looked up to the beast- Adam- she had learned, and back at the fourteen-year-old. "what does your sister look like? Perhaps one of us has seen her." She smiled kindly as the girl perked up, ruby eyes glinting with excitement.

Belle wouldn't lie, those eyes had surprised her at first. But, much like with Adam, she had adjusted quickly. After all, the girl couldn't choose her features.

"She has long blond hair and orange eyes." She stated. "Her skin is pale, and, if I had to guess, I'd say she's about 5'5"." She described her sister. "Though, I could be wrong, it's been nine years, and she's a bit older than me."

Belle frowned, trying to remember such a girl, but sadly, came up blank, as did Adam, and they saw her frown in disappointment as they relayed as much to her. She sighed. "Well, worth a shot. I'll get something eventually…." She muttered. She looked back up at the Beauty and the Beast. "Thank you, so much for trying to help. I appreciate it."

"Stay here for the night. There is plenty of room, and you must be tired after that fight." Belle invited. The beast nodded. "It's the least we can do." He rumbled and noting the frown on her face. "You won't do your sister any good by not getting any sleep." He added.

She sighed and gave in with a wry grin. "Thank you." She said. Belle clapped "Thank goodness. Lumiere will show you to your room, and dinner will be served soon."

At that, Artemis shook her head. "I'll probably be asleep by then. I get really tired after battles, and honestly, not too hungry. I don't quite know why." She yawned. Belle smiled before saying, "In that case, we'll see you for breakfast in the morning."

She bade Artemis good night, as did Adam. In turn, Artemis thanked them for giving her an actual _bed_ to sleep in and followed the talking candelabra up to the room.

She was pleasantly surprised to find a bathtub the size of a small swimming pool in the bathroom that was adjoining with her room. Forget pleasantly surprised, she was ecstatic. It had been so long since she'd cleaned herself in anything remotely considered a bath or shower, usually just going for a rag and soapy water- and the gummi ship's sink to wash her hair. A bath was just what she needed to feel like an actual _human_ again.

In the end, she nearly fell asleep in the tub. She was still sore as she got out of the tub and dragged herself to the king- sized feather bed and collapsed on it. She found that the armoire (that talked as well) was fully stocked with night dresses that fit her. She frowned as she looked at the lacy white thing that she was supposed to put on- where she usually wore plaid pajama pants that were a few sizes too big for her and a large t-shirt, this was a change.

She wasn't sure she liked it. Fighting would be a pain in the ass, should the need arise, though, according to Adam, for some reason, they had no problems during the night time. Which made no sense to Artemis, but, whatever. She wasn't really one to wear nightgowns.

Nevertheless, she had put the thing on.

She was also asleep before she hit the pillows.

* * *

 _She was in a field of flowers. One dark eyebrow rose, as she looked pragmatically around the field. "Really?" she wondered._

 _It wasn't that she didn't_ like _flowers, so to speak. It was that… she wasn't really a 'field of flowers' type of girl. She was more into oceans and lakes. Water. Instantly, she was there. She yelped. "Dear Light, what the hell?!"_

 _"You wished, your dreams granted."_

 _She screamed this time, spinning around, with her battle fans in hand. "Woah. Hey, it's okay." He had his hands up in the gesture of peace. Turquois eyes sparkled with mischief. He wore a wicked grin. "Long time, no see."_

 _"Who_ are _you?" she hissed. He frowned. "You don't know?"_

 _She rolled her eyes. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, would I?" she snapped. He sighed. "Touché," he replied. "But, seriously, I mean you no harm… so, can you put the fans away?"_

 _She put them away, but she kept a wary eye on the boy. Silver hair and turquoise eyes. She had lied. She knew him…. His hair was longer, she realized. He was taller, too. Before, she'd been maybe an inch shorter than him. Now she was a good four inches shorter. Probably five if she didn't count her hair._

 _She just didn't remember his name. or anything else about him. But she knew him, and that scared her. "So, what are you doing in my dream?"_

 _He shrugged. "I don't know. Here I thought it was_ my _dream…" he grinned. She hissed. "I don't have time for this…"_

 _"You used to." She gaped at him._

 _"I was younger then. I didn't have anything to worry about."_

 _"Not from what I remember." He drawled._

 _"That was…." She looked away. "Okay, I did… but-"_

 _"You still have the scars." He pointed out bluntly, looking at her arms- which were bare. She was wearing her usual outfit, a red and black double tank top, blue shorts, red stockings, and black combat boots. She even had the headband scarf keeping her hair back and the little gold hoops in her ears._

 _But the bandages she wore on her arms were gone. She shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I do. It's not a big deal…"_

 _"It was because of these dreams, right?"_

 _"I don't know what goes on in_ his _twisted mind. I was_ three _."_

 _"I was_ there _, remember? I know."_

 _She did not say a word. How do you tell someone that they aren't actually real? She didn't know, and she didn't want him to leave._

 _He sighed. "get into your stance." She blinked, and instantly did so. Why it seemed so familiar was a mystery to her. Maybe they'd done this other times. He grinned. "Good. You're learning." She glared at him and attacked._

 _The lesson went on, and she rolled her eyes. He seemed to not realize that she knew how to fight. "Hey," she interrupted. "I've been running into more heartless. Is there something going on that I don't know?"_

 _He shrugged. "Maleficent said that she needed them for something, but that's all she told me."_

 _Maleficent… she froze. She knew that name. After the explosion of her father's lab, the one that made two of her sister's best friends and her brother disappear, a dark fairy by the name of Maleficent took over Hollow Bastion castle and plunged Radiant Garden into the darkness. She had ended up in Traverse Town, and her sister and father had disappeared._

 _She looked at the boy in her dreams, her face frozen, red eyes glinting. "You work with Maleficent?" she hissed. He blinked. "Uh, she kind of saved me. Besides, she's not that bad."_

 _Great. Her dream was in league with the evil hag that had cost Artemis her home and what was left of her family. She felt sick. "How could you?" she whispered. "She's… she's evil."_

 _"She knows how to control the darkness."_

 _She gasped, horror taking over as his words sank in._ She knows how to control the darkness… _She looked at him. Didn't he know what someone trying to control the darkness had_ done _to her? Hadn't he pointed_ out _the marks he'd left on her? She backed up, feeling sick. The one person that she thought she could trust… she turned from him._

 _She suddenly wanted to wake up. She couldn't speak._

 _"Hey," he reached out to her, and she shoved his hand away. "Don't touch me…" she whispered._

 _She didn't see his face, which was suddenly blank, eyes filled with surprise and… hurt. "Look, I… I didn't know what to do. I made a mistake and I have to rely on her now."_

 _"You could go." She hissed. "She took my_ home _away from me." She turned to him. Eyes blazing and glazed over with tears that she refused to shed, even in her dreams._

 _"I need to learn how to control the dark." He insisted._

 _"You_ can't _control it. It just is. You cannot change it, you cannot mold it."_

 _"I'm not afraid of the dark." He declared. She screamed in frustration._

 _Her father had said much the same thing. He would learn about the darkness, no matter what. He wasn't afraid of it. He would learn to control and suppress it. "You cannot control the dark. Not completely. It is not the problem! It is merely the other side of the balance. We_ need _the darkness. Without it there would be no light."_

 _She couldn't lose him, too. Even if she knew that she already had. He frowned at her. "You're making no sense. Is it bad or good to you?"_

 _"It's_ neither _, you idiot!" she screeched, "It simply_ is. _You_ can't _control it!" she tried again._

 _"You're wrong. I can!"_

 _"Please,_ please _listen to me!" she begged. "If you do this, you_ will _lose yourself to the dark… like my father, like…. Like_ him _!" a pair of royal blue eyes invaded her memory. Funny, she thought, how this boy- no, young man- reminded her of him._

 _They were alike in many aspects… both had darkness in their hearts- maybe more than most. They followed their own paths… and they both were being coerced by the dark…. declaring that they could control the darkness._

 _It had not ended well for the other one. He had lost_ everything _, listening to the dark. His friend, his brother, his master… his_ body _, even. She couldn't bare for the same to happen to this boy…. Even if he didn't really exist._

 _He shook his head. "you don't know what you're talking about." He growled, anger coloring his brilliant ice blue eyes. She screamed in frustration._

 _"_ I _, of_ all _people know!" she yelled, the tears that she was holding back started dripping down in sheer frustration, stamping her foot in the sand. His pale eyebrow shot up at her childish display. She didn't care._

 _"Obviously, you don't. I need to do this. To find my friends." He turned and started to walk away._

 _"_ It won't work!" _she screamed after him. "Please… don't do it…" she sobbed. He disappeared, and she fell to her knees. "Please…"_

* * *

She woke with tears running down her face, still in the large bed, despair nearly choking her along with the sobs that she barely kept back, still begging someone not to go. She looked around and sighed. Another dream that she didn't remember with the boy that wasn't real. " _Bonjour_ , mademoiselle. It is a beautiful morning!" the candelabra sang joyously. "I 'ope you 'ad pleasant dreams." His charming French accent made her smile a bit through the tears, and she quickly wiped them away before the servant saw.

' _No, not really.'_ She thought, sadness once again taking over, but she smiled wider, all the same. "Yes. Thank you. The room was amazing. She got up, surprised with how sore she still was. She sighed and cast cure on herself. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and dress, and then came back out. The Lumiere was still waiting for her.

If he noticed her overly pale face, he said nothing, for which Artemis was grateful for. She didn't want to explain that she couldn't remember _why_ she'd woken up nearly in tears.

"Now, mademoiselle, it is breakfast time! Follow me!" she grinned, the candelabra's good mood was infectious. She followed him and watched dubiously as he started flirting with one of the feather dusters. He must have been quite the lady's man when he was human. Somehow, she found this to be hilarious. She found herself giggling as she followed him to the dining room

They got to the dining room, a bit late, and by the time they entered, Artemis was laughing like a loon, feeling much better than the melancholic state she had been upon waking up. Belle and Adam were already there, waiting for her. She blinked. Had she overslept?

" _Non, mon cher,_ you didn't oversleep," the candlestick said, reading the look on her face. "We 'ave a 'abbit of waking early."

"Mm, yes, quite right," the clock agreed. Artemis blinked. "Castle chores and all. They can be quite time consuming…"

"Cogsworth! _Mon amie,_ let us not trouble our guest with shop-talk!" Lumiere called, his voice light and airy. "Now, sit, _sit_." He motioned to an open seat. Artemis took it, almost bewildered at the exuberance that the former human showed.

She wondered how he could stay so cheerful.

Breakfast was a spectacle to say the least, as Lumiere had decided to put on one hell of a show for the young woman before she had to leave. And after the hour- long breakfast (She didn't even know _how_ that had happened), Belle and Adam supplied her with stock for her medical wing on the gummi ship, as well as provisions (much to her embarrassment, as she tried to decline all the food that they gave her, they just weren't having it). She bade her new friends goodbye and got in her gummi ship.

As she took off, she looked back at the enchanted castle. All in all, it had been one of the _better_ places that she'd visited so far.

At least she hadn't turned into an animal herself, like she had in Sherwood Forrest (she'd been turned into a fox with black fur and red eyes, terrifying a small bunny, who had thought that she was working for the spoiled _cub_ of a prince); Or, her stint in the Enchanted Dominion- where Maleficent had been from, where she'd nearly been put into an enchanted sleep, like the rest of the damn castle…

Or, the Dwarf Woodlands, where she'd nearly been killed by an enchanted mirror- and that was _after_ having to deal with an asshole of a dwarf who'd started a fucking mine cave in because he thought she was a thief- which she'd very nearly _died_ in.

Oh, and then there was her _favorite_ (she gagged), a place called _La Cité des Cloches,_ where she'd nearly been burned as a witch by the _amazingly_ creepy Judge Claud Frolo, alongside Esmeralda (and had heard the freaky lunatic proposition the poor gypsy woman…) In her _personal_ opinion (not that the nutcase would care for her opinion), there were easier- nay, _better_ ways of getting the girl… and threatening genocide- or burning down the whole freaking city…. Or turning yourself into a _heartless_ and wreaking havoc on the city- were _not_ good ways of going about it.

She snorted as she reentered the space between worlds and frowned. Where to go next? The galaxy was a hell of a place to travel, and there were literally billions of places that one could go… a bit disheartening when looking for someone. She shrugged. Perhaps it was time to backtrack to Traverse Town.

She grinned dryly. Leon and the rest would be _so_ pissed at her… not that she really cared. She'd already told them _all_ (when she was five) that she was going to find her sister, and nothing they said was going to stop her. She'd paid for the ship that Cid had made- making him swear that he wouldn't tell the others- and had left.

She rolled her eyes and went down to her medical bay/ lab after setting in the coordinates for her destination into the warp drive. She sat at her desk and started on her log. After that was done, she went right back to the notes that she'd managed to save from her father's experiments on the darkness of the heart.

As well as her brother's notes- and the notes of the rest of her father's apprentices. She sighed. It was something to do as she waited, but she didn't want to read it all again. Besides, the most important notes were missing- those of Xehanort, who had used her father's name on his reports. However, she felt as if she should give herself a refresher, and she got down her _own_ notes, and added to them.

After thirty minutes of that, she'd had enough. Her head was spinning, and all she could think of were mathematical equations and the recipes for elixirs. She shook her head, trying to clear it, before going back to the cockpit to see her progress through space.

Even with the warp drive in, she knew that it'd take her a while. Three days, she would have to guess. She sighed. She'd just blown about five and a half hours doing everything that she'd wanted to do. So, she went down the hallway, to the quarters that she used as a library.

One of the best things about traveling was that she could (and did) collect books about literally everything. Fiction and nonfiction, it didn't matter. From the mechanics of beginner's magic to sappy romances. She even had books on martial arts and sword fighting. She yawned and took down one of the fiction books, figuring that she'd burn what was left of the day on reading.

She was unable to concentrate on the book- a random romance that she found completely stupid and unromantic. Actually, she wanted to set the book on fire. Hell, even her _husband_ told the heroin that he didn't give a damn what she did at the end of the book. She wanted to hurl. That was 1,037 pages of wasted time, and she couldn't quite believe that it was considered a _classic romance_. She ended the book wanting to slap the pretentious, spoiled little brat, and happy that she'd been left alone.

She sighed. The only thing saving that book was the fact that it was a _classic_ … and you have to respect classics. She made a face and went to choose another book from the shelf.

She fell asleep in the chair.

* * *

 _This time, she was in a mansion- much like the one from the book that she'd just finished reading. She looked down and swore as she saw what she was wearing now. A large, heavy hooped skirt and a freaking_ corset _covered her. A fashion that had long since been out of style, with long sleeves, the ball gown was a deep, dark red with dusky gold designs on it. She couldn't breathe, and she felt like she weighed about a thousand pounds._

 _"Whoever came up with this crap_ desperately _needs to be shot…." She hissed, as she gracelessly descended the staircase- nearly falling on her face about five different times, clinging to the banister for dear life._

 _She looked down, and… there he was. She gaped. Oh,_ light _no. This was not happening. He stood there, wearing a suit, his hair combed back. She gaped. She didn't know whether he looked funny or dashing, or even attractive. It was a mix of the three. She tried- and failed- to not laugh. He spoke first, pitching his voice over her spluttering snickers, snorts and guffaws._

 _"However bad you think I look, I can_ assure _you, you look worse. Where the_ hell _are we?"_

 _"I… think we're in a book that I was reading…"_

 _"What book?!" he gaped, "_ How to Look Like a Looser in Ten Easy Steps _?" she couldn't' hold it in anymore, and she roared with laughter as he pulled at the collar of his dress shirt._

 _"I- I'm sorry!" she laughed. She tried to control her laughter, finally managing to get it down to hiccups and then to finally stop. She sighed and whipped away a tear that had fallen. "Ah… to be honest, I hated the book. So, I don't know why we're even here." She said after she'd calmed down._

 _He nodded. "Huh. Well, can you think of something else…?" he asked._

 _She nodded, and they were in a grassy field, wearing their usual clothes. She giggled again. "I'm going to want to remember that…" she snickered._

 _"Yeah, I get to remember you in that dress, though." He drawled. That stopped her. She looked at him and frowned. She remembered that she was upset with him. He'd started working with the Dark Fairy._

 _"What are you doing here?" she asked, guarding herself. He frowned. "I don't know." He muttered. "I figured you wanted me here."_

 _"You left last night." She snapped, ruby eyes narrowing. His own eyes narrowed in retaliation. "Because you were being thickheaded."_

 _"_ Excuse me, _Mr. know-it-all, but_ you _started working with the one person that singlehandedly cast my world into darkness! I_ lost _my_ home _because of her!" she snapped. It was funny, she thought in the back of her mind, how he could make her laugh one second, and then yell and scream and cry the next. She glared up at him. He glared_ down _at her. She gritted her teeth._

 _She hated feeling like she was at a disadvantage. "Hmph, Maleficent was right… people like you are holding me back." He growled._

 _She gasped. Her chest suddenly hurt. She felt like crying. He'd believe that evil witch over her… She steeled herself. "You're doing that on your own." She snapped. "You're leaving the path in the light for the path immersed in the dark."_

 _"And that's_ my _choice to make." He snapped. "I'll do anything to save Kairi."_

 _And that cinched it. She gaped at him, suddenly feeling awkward. Kairi… another girl. She felt her heart drop into her stomach, and he continued. "Even if_ he _won't._ He's _too busy playing hero and showing off his new keyblade. Even has new friends…"_

 _She was still stuck the fact that he was trying to save another girl._

 _And, for the second time in as many nights, she ached to wake up. Wake up so that she could forget. She whispered a small, broken "oh," and backed away from him. Again._

 _He didn't notice as he continued ranting. She watched in horror and hurt as dark power surrounded his body. The blue, black and purple shadows licked at his skin like flames. She backed away further. She remembered those shadows all too well… severing a connection…_

 _He didn't notice her fear, either, not until he noticed her slowly backing up, ruby eyes wide. He frowned. "What's wrong with you?" he asked._

 _She shook her head. "Turn it off." She whispered. "you're not controlling it._ It _is controlling you." He frowned and took a deep breath. The shadows slunk away, leaving only him. He glared at her. "Get a grip. We're going to train." He snapped._

 _She gaped. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the middle of the field, and then, he attacked her. No warning was given as he sprang at her. She let out a shriek as she tried to defend, and he had her on her back in ten seconds._

 _"Not good enough. We'll go slower, but we're doing it again." He snapped. He let her up, and it started again, though, this time, he circled her, poised like a cat, waiting for the right moment, turquoise eyes narrowed._

 _Though he moved slower, she could still barely make out his movements. She did manage to block him, though, and earn a grunt of satisfaction. A keyblade materialized in his hands as he came at her again._

 _She rolled gasped, backflipping away from his attack, switching to cartwheels when he kept coming. She thought about her fans, and they materialized as well; she used them to block his blade. He sprang away._

 _On and on it went, and Artemis never actually won. This was upsetting to the boy, somehow, and he was muttering under his breath, even as he rolled, flopping on his back, off of her._

 _"We need to work on that…" he informed her. She was too weak to even nod as she tried to get her breath back. "You're too vulnerable to certain attacks." He continued._

 _"No…_ really…? _I didn't_ notice _." she gasped. He spared her a glance and grinned wryly._

 _Strange. She thought. They'd been arguing when he'd suddenly wanted to train. He started pointing out her weaknesses. To what end, though? She already fought heartless, and, quite honestly, it wasn't that hard anymore. The tactics that he had started teaching her that night were different. She couldn't figure out what they could possibly be_ for _._

 _He got up and held out his hand to her. "C'mon. Let me help you up." She took the hand that was offered, noting that his were calloused. She frowned as she wondered why. A suddenly cooling, feeling spread through her, and her ruby eyes shot up to meet his blue ones. It felt like a cooling ocean breeze, and the odor of the sea wafted around her. She felt stronger._

 _He must have used one of the medical spells on her. "Curaga," he muttered. "Everyone's is different, so I hear." She grinned, knowing this to be true. She also figured that she should repay his use of mana with her own. She cast her own Curaga spell on him._

 _He frowned, looking down at her. "Warm." He said. She laughed. "My element is fire." She stated. "I don't quite know what yours is."_

 _He shrugged. "I… don't really have one." He muttered. She shook her head. "Bull. Every person alive has an element- even those who don't use magic have an element." He sighed._

 _"I suppose mine would be earth, then." He spoke slowly. She frowned and cocked her head to the side. "Stubborn as a rock, blunt, too… and yet, your healing spells feel like water…" and his protections spells were Air magic based._

 _He shrugged. "I don't know."_

 _She was about to open her mouth when he got up. "I need to go." He stated calmly. She froze. Back to Maleficent… she thought. Her heart grew heavy again._

 _She gave him one last warning. "She's lying." Before he vanished._

* * *

She woke once again with a crippling, pitiful sadness weighing on her chest. She sighed. Artemis didn't know what to do about this anymore. She didn't even remember these dreams, and yet they left her desolate or elated, depending on the time. Her head hurt when she _tried_ to remember, and she could only assume what the cause of that was.

She frowned. She remembered every dream of the silver haired boy that she'd ever had- up until she was four. She didn't like waking up feeling like the world was ending. She was not an unhappy person- she wasn't a _happy_ person, but she wasn't one to look on the dark side of things. She was… practical.

She didn't like crying in general… and she got the feeling that she'd been doing a _lot_ of that, lately. She stalked to the galley of the ship, looking for something to eat. The cook from the castle (A stove) had loaded her down with breads and salted meats and other things that had been used long ago for sailors, and she could at least make a sandwich.

She figured that she'd be able to pick up fruit at the next place she came to. She knew that she was almost to traverse town by the heartless ships that the _Black Jack_ had passed. She sighed into her sandwich, knowing that she was going to get one _hell_ of an earful from Leon and the others.

Immediately, she started planning on where she'd go next.

She had an idea… but she didn't like it one bit. She'd go back to the place it all began…. Back to what was _left_ of Radiant Garden. She grit her teeth at the thought. That was all well and good, but she had something to do…. So, she'd go back to her home world. Right after she went to Traverse Town.

* * *

 _ **And with that, chapter one is complete. Trust me, I will explain everything eventually. Everything will be explained. Read and Review, AOP**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**In case anyone was wondering: the book she was reading in chapter 1 was**_ **Gone With the Wind** _ **… a book that I**_ **really** _ **tried to read… but… really, I wanted to set it on fire…. Scarlett O'Hara was a pain in the ass that I really think needs to get slapped. Hard. With a chair.**_

 _ **In any case… this here chapter has a**_ **strong** _ **T rating… because accidents happen, you can't choose your dreams... and honestly, I thought it was funny. There is nothing… too risqué, not unless you**_ **think** _ **about it that way, and I don't.**_

 _ **Get ready for some seriously crazy mood swings because teenage emotions are literally the worst, and Maleficent is really good at manipulating poor, unsuspecting teenage boys into thinking things that aren't true... she did it with Terra first, and we all know how**_ **that _turned out..._**

 _ **(Really, though, I'm not joking about the teenage emotions. You couldn't**_ **pay _me enough to deal with teenage mood swings again.)_**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2**_

 _Location: Traverse Town_

When she landed, she couldn't help but to look around the hanger- Cid's hanger. She blinked as she saw another gummi there, a brilliantly colored one that looked rather banged up. She supposed that she couldn't be the only one, though, and wondered who the owner (or owners) of the ship was.

She also figured that they'd run into each other, eventually. It wasn't like Traverse Town was all that big. As it was, she spotted Tifa right away after she exited the building. The young woman's dark eyes went wide as a gasp came through. "Artemis!" She exclaimed, running over, catching the younger girl in a hug.

"Ack! Tifa, I can't breathe…" She gasped. The woman let her go, and then frowned. Artemis winced, knowing _exactly_ what was about to happen.

"Artemis Kenja, where have you been? We were worried about you!" The black-haired woman lectured. The raven-haired girl sighed. "I told you…. I had to find my sister. No luck on that, by the way."

"Aw, come on, Tifa, we all would have done the same if it were any of us…" A new voice, one that Artemis recognized as Yuffie, spoke. The ninja dropped down from her perch on top of the items store, in front of the two others. "Though, Leon's gonna be _pissed_ when he sees you, Artem."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I know. I'm looking even less forward to _that_ conversation…" she grumbled. And then, she cocked her head to the side. "Whose gummi ship did I see in the hanger?" she asked.

At this, the ninja laughed and Tifa grinned. "That would be Sora, Donald, and Goofy- so I hear, anyway. I'm about to leave, myself, so I haven't had time to meet them." She replied. "They're looking for their friends. Sora's about your age." She smirked.

Artemis' red eyes narrowed. "And I don't suppose that _you_ lot gave him all that much of a hard time?" she murmured.

"The difference is that if you'd have waited until now, we wouldn't have. You were trying to leave when you were four." Tifa pointed out. Artemis frowned. She didn't like it, but she saw the point. She'd have done the same as the rest.

"Do you want to meet him?" Yuffie asked, grinning. Artemis shrugged. "I don't see why not…" she murmured.

It couldn't hurt to meet someone her own age… someone who might have seen Hestia. It sounded like the group had been traveling quite a bit. She grinned, jazzed at the thought. Yuffie smirked. "He's at the items shop, last I checked." She told the smaller girl. Artemis nodded, rushing off.

When she got to the shop, she saw possibly the strangest sight in her life…. A duck, a… dog (honestly, it was a bit hard to tell)? And a boy about her age. His hair was spiky and brown, and he wore bell-shaped red shorts, a t-shirt in black with a yellow line, and a short-sleeved jacket over it. Her eyes flipped wide as his deep, sapphire blue eyes turned on her, His face split into a wide grin, and he ran over to her.

"Boy, am I glad to see someone my age, I…" he stopped short, and curiosity filled his eyes. She blinked. He was like a little kid. "Your eyes are… _red,_ " he said in surprise. "Wow… I've never _seen_ that as an eye color, before!"

She blinked rapidly. "Uh… Yeah…" she muttered, leaning away a bit. He was just a little too close to her at the moment. "Yours are blue." She pointed out dryly. He grinned and stuck out his hand. She smiled back and took it.

"Sora." He said. "What's your name?"

"Artemis." She returned. "Artemis Kenja."

"This is Donald," he pointed to the duck, who was tapping its… foot? Was that what it was called, with an annoyed scowl on his face, "and that's Goofy," he motioned to the… dog, who waved with a friendly smile on his face. She smiled at both of them.

"Hi." She said shyly. Goofy let out a laugh that made her grin, and Donald just… quacked really fast. "We need to get _going_ ," he snapped. She blinked, frowning as she turned back to Sora.

"What's _his_ damage?" she asked dryly, jerking toward the duck, who furiously started yelling nothing. Sora just snorted. "He's been like that since I met him…. About two months ago."

She grimaced. "Two months?" she looked at him with pity. "I'm so sorry."

"I can hear you, you know." Donald yelled. She giggled, and Sora snickered. "Try being on a small gummi ship with him." He muttered, she gagged.

"I'd rather cook and eat him." She muttered. "Marinated duck sounds pretty good right now." She leered at the duck. Donald looked horrified. She smirked at him while Sora laughed. "So… what're you doing in Traverse Town?" she asked, changing the subject away from the spluttering duck. Sora shrugged.

"Goofy and Donald are looking for their friend, King Mickey," the brunette explained, "and I'm looking for my friends, Riku and Kairi-" and just like that, she was done listening. The name made her freeze in her tracks…

 _Kairi…_ she blinked rapidly. _I'd do anything to save Kairi!_ He'd said… the boy with the silver hair. She shook her head. It was a coincidence, she thought wildly, a _complete_ coincidence. There was _no_ way that they could be the same. Right?

Still, she smiled and nodded. "I'm looking for my older sister," she said. The boy frowned, tapping his chin in thought. "You… didn't happen to run across a girl about the same age as Aerith and Yuffie, have you? She'd be blond with orange eyes…"

She watched as his eyes crossed in concentration, which made her giggle a bit, even as she looked at Donald an Goofy, who both shook their heads, though the duck still looked _highly_ affronted. Finally, Sora gave up with a sigh, and gave her a sad look. "No… I'm sorry." He said, but then perked up a little. "You haven't seen Riku or Kairi, have you? Kairi's about the same height as you with blue eyes and dark red hair… and Riku's tall with grey hair…" she blinked.

She'd seen a boy who was tall with grey hair (though a really, really light… silver grey…), but that wasn't _real_. She shook her head. "I… I don't think so…" she said slowly. Sora just huffed in frustration, as they made their way to the house that Cid stayed in when he wasn't working. "How about a mouse? About as tall as Donald?"

A _mouse_? Well, that certainly explained things, she thought. She didn't know why that took her by surprise. Hadn't _she_ herself been a fox at one point? She shook her head when nothing came to mind. "No, I don't remember seeing a mouse, either." She replied and watched as the two traveling with Sora comically slumped their shoulders in exaggerated defeat. "Eh… sorry," she muttered, a bit guilty.

"We were supposed to go meet Cid in the abandoned house…" he said, smiling at her. "You wanna come with us?"

Ignoring the warnings of the duck she smiled and nodded. "Sure."

When they got to the house, it was empty. Dark and just a bit musty- definitely dusty. She snorted. "Way to clean up, guys," she muttered sarcastically. "Sora?" she looked over at Donald and Goofy, the latter of who was waving his hand in front of the boy's face, trying to get his attention. It seemed like he was in a trance, eyes wide and surprised.

He seemed to snap out of it, though, shaking his head. He looked around, a bit disoriented before he frowned. "Ah…" he sighed. Then, he turned around. "We should be going…" Artemis frowned herself at the change of attitude from him. He seemed a bit… down, now, though his eyes glittered with newfound drive.

"Well, let's go, then!" the duck muttered in agitation. She frowned at him, but silently followed the others out. She needed to talk to Cid anyway…. She wanted to upgrade the gummi ship. She froze though, before she left, her eyes darting outside to the scene that was in front of her. Her eyes went wide, and her face went pale.

It was the boy from her dreams…. _Riku,_ Sora had called him. She heard the whole thing- _including_ Donald's terse (and actually, really _rude_ ) objection to the silver-haired boy's getting on their gummi ship. Her red eyes narrowed, and she watched (with a little satisfaction) as the duck seemed to feel the glare she wore and turned to look in her direction after Riku disappeared… into the darkness.

She winced at the thought. He really, _really_ had no idea what he was doing… but that didn't- _couldn't_ matter any longer. He was a servant to the darkness, now… and that had _nothing_ to do with her.

In any case, she needed to get going. She still had things to do, a sister to find…. And really, _that_ endeavor should be taking up most (if not all) of her time. her arms stung, the scars pulled a bit, and she winced.

He was _real_ , though. The discovery struck her pretty hard, hard enough that she had to sit down for a few minutes. She closed her eyes and let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. It was surreal, to be honest. She'd always wondered…. She'd been sure as a child, that he was out there somewhere, but that hope- that secret hope- had been buried as she grew. To see with her own eyes that he was real… well... she couldn't help but feel happy. He was alive.

He was dangerous. The thought crept into her psyche almost as instantly as the joy had. Her eyes narrowed. He was in league with… _her_. He was _letting_ her _use_ him… and she could do nothing about it. "Hey, are you…. Okay?" she looked up, and accidentally smacked Sora's face (he was _way_ too close again- did this boy not have a handle on the concept of _personal space_?), and gasped as he yelped, stumbled back a few feet, then fell backwards onto his butt.

"Oh, Light, I'm _so_ sorry!" she yelped, rushing over to help him up. He just laughed as he took her offered hand and allowed her to pull him up. "Na, that was kinda my fault. I didn't exactly warn you." He said, grinning, even though he had a red hand print on his face. She flushed as he laughed.

After a few minutes, he sobered up. "But seriously, are you okay?" he asked again. She blinked, thinking about it for a few minutes before she smiled shyly, and nodded. She _wasn't_ okay with what was happening, but she couldn't let it get in her way. So, she lied.

"I'm fine, Sora. Thank you."

He hesitated for a moment, frowning as he studied her, before he shook his head. "If you say so…" he replied, though he did not sound the slightest bit convinced. He turned around to face Donald and Goofy, preparing to walk away, before hesitating. He looked back at her, a sweet smile on his face. She blinked in confusion as he asked one last question. "Hey, you're looking for your sister, right? Why don't you come with us?"

Obviously, he was ignoring the babblings of the duck beside him who was vehemently protesting the offer of the brunette. Artemis smiled wryly and shook her head. "Thanks, Sora." She said, "but no. I don't think your… _guard duck_ would approve of that- she cast a sneer at the water fowl. Besides…" she grinned as she handed him something. At his look of confusion, she continued explaining. "It's a com-link. You can contact me through that like you do with Chip and Dale. That way, if you see my sister, you can tell me, and _I_ can let you know if I see Kairi… two eyes- or in this case, four eyes- are better than one."

She did not mention Riku. She didn't think she could, to be honest, but that didn't seem to matter to Sora, who just gave her a wide grin. "Thanks!" he said cheerfully. "I'll _definitely_ let you know if I see your sister…. Eh…" he suddenly looked a bit sheepish, as he asked, "what was her name again?" She laughed.

"Hestia." She said laughing. "Her name is Hestia Kenja. She might be travelling with two of her friends. If you see her, tell her to meet me here… and then let me know."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Okay!" he said. She laughed as he and his two compatriots ran off. She sighed, before frowning, and looked behind her. "You… haven't told him everything, have you?" she asked softly. "He doesn't know _anything._ "

"We didn't have the time." Leon's low voice sounded behind her, but she just glared, as the tall man stepped out of the shadows. "Any more," he drawled, his own eyes narrowing into a scowl, "Than we had time to stop _you_ from going after Hestia."

At that she stuck her chin out, her red eyes flashed with stubbornness. "Well, _excuse_ me, but the last time that _I_ checked, _Squall_ ," she deliberately used his birth name, watching as the antagonizing barb sunk into his skin as he grit his teeth, " _You_ are not my guardian. _You_ cannot tell me what to do, nor can you stop me from doing what I want… which is _finding my dark-damned older sister_." She hissed.

He did not strike out at her- he was far too gentlemanly for that- he wouldn't hurt a girl who was both younger and weaker. She may be pissing him off (and excelling at doing so), but that didn't mean he would hurt her. She knew it and disliked it… if only because it would give her a nice… vent. But she wasn't stupid enough to _really_ push Leon's buttons. Nor was she angry enough. He didn't deserve it.

"Artemis." He said it quietly, and she shook her head, suddenly ashamed at her behavior. She was acting like a child... and she was taking her frustration out on one of the people who took the time to make sure she was okay. "Sorry, Leon." She muttered, not looking at him. "That was rude…. I'm just…" she felt her eyes sting, and furiously shook her head.

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter." He said. "you need some sleep…. And an actual shower. Aerith is waiting at the old house."

"I was _just_ there…. And it was empty." She muttered belligerently, but she smiled and trudged back to the third district… only to run headlong into yet another scene that she shouldn't be seeing. Her eyes narrowed in ire and her hands itched for the battle-fans that she'd (stupidly) left on board her gummi ship.

Because in the middle of the square stood _Maleficent_ and _Riku_. And Maleficent was _talking_ to him, a pale green hand on his shoulder as she crooned in his ear. She couldn't hear what was being said, but it seemed to get to the silver-haired boy, because his fists clenched, and he glared. After the 'talk' was done, she watched as they summoned the shadow-path, and disappeared.

She hissed lowly, as she watched, continuing to stand there for a few more minutes after their departure. "Riku… you _idiot_." She growled to herself as she turned to the door. As promised, the tall brunette woman stood inside, waiting for her.

After the 'talk' (in which Aerith scolded her for being away for so long, and then telling her that she was relieved to see her okay), she shooed the younger girl into the bathroom. After her shower (while it wasn't as decadent as the one at Adam and Belle's castle, it still felt like heaven, and she couldn't suppress a sigh of pure contentment), she lay down in the bed, the exhaustion took her over.

* * *

 _She was back in the large tub at the enchanted castle, and completely relaxed at this point. She sighed happily as she picked up some of the bubbles that covered her to her clavicle and blew them with a giggle as they flew around the room carried on the air she'd generated. She leaned back, content in the all-but scalding hot water._

 _"Got it hot enough in here?"_

 _She screamed in surprise, her red eyes going wide as dinner plates as she noticed that she was, in fact,_ not _alone in her paradise of a bath. "_ Ohmylight _," she gasped, her arms flying to her (completely covered by bubbles) chest as her face heated up, "_ What _are you_ doing _here?!"_

 _She noticed, even in her own embarrassment, that he looked quite uncomfortable with the situation as well, his face flushed red, and seemed to be wearing no more than she. Her face bloomed with color as she tried to pry her eyes away from the other teen's pale skin. The soapy, bubbly water covered less of him than it did her- enough that she could tell that he was… very much in shape. Her face went redder._

 _"It's not like_ I _chose the place." He muttered, not looking at her, choosing instead to look at the wall. She spluttered with embarrassment, sinking into the water, but immediately, she thought of something else. Specifically, her gummi ship's cockpit. Both fully dressed now, though still flushed._

 _"I… How do you keep showing up here?" her voice was cracking as she glared at him, sheer embarrassment coloring her tone. "How do you keep invading my dreams?"_

 _He shrugged almost helplessly. "I don't know." He grumbled. "I'm not_ asking _to be here, you know." Annoyance colored his own tone._

 _She shook her head. "I…" she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the (admittedly gorgeous) eyes. "Don't tell me you can't choose to be here, when you keep walking away, right out of my dreams when it suits you." She blurted._

 _He snorted. "Maybe, but I never choose to come here… and I_ don't _pick the venues." He told her. "Maybe if they were_ my _dreams, we'd end up in normal places." She flushed again. "I'm sorry about that." She muttered, still mortified. He shook it off. "Not like you could help it, either. Last time it was from a scene of a book you hated." He reminded her._

 _She sighed and shook her head. "True… where would_ you _be… if you could choose?" she asked suddenly. He frowned in thought as he thought about it. After a few minutes, he shrugged. "I… don't know." He murmured._

 _"You know, if you_ tried _to think of a place before falling asleep, you might be able to… choose the venue, as you said." She pointed out. He shrugged. It wasn't like he was disagreeing, so she took it as a win._

 _"There, see. I can guarantee you, we won't end up wherever it is you_ actually _are." She smirked wryly._

 _"What makes you think that where I am is that bad?" he asked, suddenly defensive. She snorted. "Tell me I'm wrong then… and don't lie." She retorted. He opened his mouth for a few seconds before he closed it. "I thought so… Riku."_

 _His eyes flipped open wide as he backed up a bit, a keyblade appeared in his hand. She blinked in surprise. He glared at her as he pointed the weapon at her, and in the close quarters of the cockpit, she could feel the dark energy radiating off the boy. Her eyes flashed, annoyance taking over as she drew her battle-fans. The cockpit immediately disappeared, and they were once again in the grassy field._

 _"How do you know my name?" he growled, as she sank into her beginning stance. She smirked, though her eyes were stormy with agitation now._

 _"I know Sora." She said simply. "In real life. I was there, when you met him in Traverse Town. You… didn't see me either times…. Because I saw you talking with the Dark Fairy as well." She sneered the last part. He froze, obviously trying to remember._

 _"I don't remember…"_

 _"Again… you didn't see me. You were too busy letting Maleficent warp your mind, misleading you from what's actually going on." She smirked darkly as she talked, his training was kicking in, and she waited for his first move._

 _"_ She _isn't misleading me." He snapped, glaring at her. She laughed tauntingly. "She told me the truth!" he yelled._

 _"What? That Sora- the kid who couldn't shut up about his two best friends- would abandon you?" she crooned. "Please. I find it hard to believe when he's_ that _insistent on finding you._ You _are being tricked by the evil witch, and you don't even want to admit it!"_

 _He attacked then. She parried the blow, catching the 'blade' with one of her fans, knocking it off course, stepping closer, she had the blade of the fan at his neck. He froze for a bit. "He's been looking for you and Kairi for a while, while_ you've _been working with Maleficent!" she snapped._

 _That was the last thing that was said for the next few minutes, besides the occasional curse and spell. Finally, he won once again, she found herself on her back, a keyblade at her throat, and he was surrounded by the aura that screamed darkness. His eyes were orange. A smirk took over her face. "Did that make you feel better? Because I feel_ great _… then again, I'm not being controlled by the darkness again. You just make a_ perfect _little vessel for it, you know?" the mocking ire in her voice was enough to make him stop._

 _The keyblade disappeared, and his eyes- still the bright, shining gold of an enemy she'd long thought gone- darkened with anger, glared into hers. "I am_ not _being controlled by the darkness. I'm not even_ using-" _he was cut off by her bitter laughter._

 _"Dear, me, why don't you take another look,_ Riku _." She sneered. "Or should I ask you if that's your actual name? Maybe it's not anymore, hmm?" she crooned, and those eyes flashed with recognition._

 _"I don't know_ what _you're talking about." He snarled, though his voice was different- almost garbled, like two people were speaking through him. She laughed darkly. "Look into the lake." She goaded. He hesitated, before he did so, moving to look at his reflection. The gasp was all she needed to hear._

 _"Still think the darkness isn't controlling_ you, _instead of the other way around?" she asked as she stood and walked over to him. He looked over at her, his eyes returning to blue. "What was that?" he asked. She dusted off her shorts before she answered._

 _"That was a being that's lurking in the dark, waiting for some foolish person to give into the dark. Seems like it found someone." She shrugged, though her heart was breaking at the thought of him being lost like that. She didn't want to imagine it, but those eyes, those eyes the color of the sun, seared into her mind, forbidding her from thinking anything else._

 _"I won't let it beat me." He hissed, eyes rabidly angry._

 _She smirked. "You already_ are _, Riku."_

 _"You keep saying my name." he turned to her "why?"_

 _"Because you need to remember it." She said quietly. "You're forgetting. The longer you stay with Maleficent…"_

 _"Don't go there," he warned, turning fully to face her. "I'm doing this my own way. It's not like Sora's doing anything about it. I'm trying to find Kairi." She shook her head._

 _"If that's what she promised you…."_

 _"She's made good on everything she's promised so far."_

 _"Because she knows how to manipulate you, you moron." she replied. "She knows that if she actually does it, you'll trust her, trust her word, and she can manipulate you like a little puppet."_

 _"I am_ no one's _puppet." He snapped._

 _"Really? you could have fooled me, then." She sneered. "You're letting Maleficent con you into thinking that your_ best friend _would just suddenly abandon you for no apparent reason. I've only known him for a few hours, Riku, and even I can tell that Sora is_ not _that kind of person…. She said it dryly._

 _He snarled. "I can think for myself."_

 _"Then_ do _it." With those words, she turned from him, started to walk away… then she stopped, turned toward him once more. "One more thing, Riku. The darkness that you're letting seep inside your heart… it's a monster, plain and simple. If you don't shun it, push it out of your heart, it_ will _overtake you." She left him there, then, not wanting to hear any more of his lame excuses- or his apparently_ abysmal _ability to judge others' character._

* * *

This time, when she woke, she felt… _victorious_. She grinned as she slid out of the bed and stretched. Her eyes glittered with triumph and a small, secret part of her mind thought that maybe, just _maybe_ , he would listen to her. She didn't know what would happen next, but she could only hope for the best from here on.

Part of her was angry at him…

Why in the name of light would he believe someone he'd not known for more than a few months over the bond of a friend he'd had since- if she was reading Sora's emotions right- childhood- early childhood, if she'd had to guess. She just couldn't make any sense of it. Sora had been there, she'd already told him that the other boy was searching for Kairi as well… so, what was it with him? Did he _want_ to believe Sora was capable of such a thing as abandoning his friends?

She shook her head against the poisonous nature of her thoughts. Riku was going to do what he wanted, even if that meant thinking that badly of Sora. That didn't- _couldn't_ \- matter right now. She had things to do, worlds to visit, and people to find. She could not, no, _would_ not chase after a boy who seemed desperate enough for _something_ to turn to the darkness. She was far too busy for that. She didn't have time to try to save him from himself.

She said this even as she ignored the pang in her heart at the thought of him letting it in, as she left the small house in the third district. She cast a glance to the square where she'd last seen the silver-haired boy, and deliberately walked through it to the gate to first district. Her gummi ship should be ready by now, she thought. Time waited for no one… and she was ready to continue on her journey.

Thanks to the inhabitants of the Enchanted Castle, she didn't have to stop into the item shop, and she was pretty well set with magical items, so she could just be on her way. She made a face as she returned to the ship. She wished she had someone to watch her back as Sora had… even if the duck seemed like a jerk….

She snorted and shook her head. It wasn't like _Black Jack_ had the room for more people…. Strictly a one-person vessel… for now. She supposed she should probably change that- what, with trying to find her sister and all… but that would take a while. Months, in fact... She sighed. She'd need Cid's help, too.

Groaning, she turned back to the item shop. "Cid…" she called. This…. Was going to be a _very_ long few weeks. For _all_ of them. She called up Chip and Dale- who she'd met not long ago on another world- Disney Castle- and asked them for help as well. They agreed, much to her surprise, as they were the acting engineers on the _Highwind_ \- Sora's gummi ship. With Cid agreeing, they were ready to go.

She was grateful. She needed it to be capable of carrying more than one person- possibly more than two… and with Cid and Chip helping her with the blueprint, that was surprisingly easy to come up with something that did just that (and added an honest to light bathroom instead of a half-bath thing that only had a sink and a toilet… something that made her tear up with happiness… no more dishrag baths….)

While they did this, she plotted her course- which was annoyingly easy. It all started with Radiant Garden. At first- when the idea came up in her mind- she was unsure. The whole thing was spotty planning to say the least- a last ditch effort on her part to find _something, anything_ about what happened to Hestia… however, as she worked, trying to find a different solution, she realized one more thing: Radiant Garden was where it all started… and that was likely where it would all end, as well.

So, with this in mind, she finalized the course, and put it aside for her ship. During the day- and well into the night, she, the chipmunks, and Cid worked on it. Aerith, Leon and the rest of the inhabitants from Radiant Garden (that they called Hollow Bastion) came by to either lend a hand with the project, or to simply drop off food for them- something that Artemis was sure every one of them were grateful for.

She did not sleep much these days, though when she did, she saw him… and it was wordless, these meetings. They would nod to each other, and then they would spar. He would not see reason, and she did not want to push the subject- she wouldn't even know how to, to be honest. That was how their days were filled.

And quickly, four months passed. The alterations to her ship had just been completed. It could now carry a larger group- up to ten- comfortably but was still able to function with one person- as long as that person was well-versed in engineering of all sorts- which, and Artemis _hated_ to brag- she was. It had _multiple_ bathrooms- three in total- all of which had fully functioning toilets, sinks, and baths. So, that night, she lay down, for the first time in months, for a full nights' sleep.

And for the first time in a long time, she slept without any interruptions. She smiled in her dreamland… apparently, the silver-haired keyblade wielder had decided to leave her to her peace and give her a break from training….

Though his motives were still a mystery to her, she only hoped that it meant that he was starting to take her words to heart and was starting to pull away from Maleficent… and the darkness, as well. Tomorrow, she would begin her journey back to Hollow Bastion. Come what may, Artemis Kenja, daughter of Ansem the Wise, was returning home for the first time in nine years.

* * *

 _So, it comes to my attention: In 3D, Sora is called out on trusting everyone that he just meets, but I disagree. He_ **does** _trust a good many people he 'just meets', however, he does_ **not** _trust_ **all** _of them. Like every single villain in the franchise, he distrusts immediately, while Riku, on the other hand, meets a fairy who is literally called_ **The Dark Fairy** _and immediately trusts her. So, I ask you: Who's the worse judge of character? In any case, this was actually gonna go a_ **lot** _ **differently, but I changed it in the last minute... because I felt that it was just too soon for what I originally had planned.**_


End file.
